The present invention relates to a toothbrush having a readily releasable and replaceable brush insert which is securely and hygienically held in place. In its more particular aspects, it is concerned with such a brush wherein the insert is received in an open loop at one end of the brush handle and may be readily snapped into and out of secured sealed engagement with the loop.
The prior art teaches brushes with replaceable brush inserts. For various reasons, however, these have not had significant commercial success for use as oral hygiene instruments. The problems have been complexity and expense, difficulty in use, awkwardness, and concern that they pose a hygienic risk.
Early examples of toothbrushes with replaceable inserts are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,800,993, 2,225,331 and 2,618,003. The brushes of these patents do not provide the hygienic seal and simplified construction of the present invention. In some instances, they also provide cavities within the brush insert or handle which can cause hygienic problems. U.S. Pat. No. 4,780,924 discloses a toothbrush which has an entire head which may be removed. A recent example of a toothbrush with a replaceable brush insert is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 4,890,349 wherein the handle is formed with either a non-symmetrical opening to facilitate ejection of the insert, or a closed cavity with resilient back.
Other examples of brushes with replaceable inserts are found in the foreign art. See, for example, Swiss Patent No. 428,661 and German Patent Nos. 1910180, 2434268 and 3038895.